Fullmetal Alchemist: The Elric Sister
by Hexalys
Summary: Joanne is the oldest of the Elric siblings. After failing to bring their mother back, they begin searching for the fabled Philosopher Stone to return their bodies back to normal. Like Ed, Jo becomes a dog of the state and is named the Grave Alchemist. Along the way, the Elrics meet a variety of people while uncovering an evil plot centuries in the making. Follows Manga/Brotherhood


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood nor any of its characters.

In case you skipped over the disclaimer, which I'm pretty sure you all did, this story will be following the Manga/Brotherhood storyline.

~Fullmetal Alchemist: The Elric Sister~

Chapter 1: The Fullmetal Alchemist

"The Freezing Alchemist? He's here?" A man with black hair and fierce dark eyes asked while looking over the military file in his hands. The white gloves that he was famous for, made from a rare fabric called Ignition Cloth, brushed over the pages as he quickly absorbed as much information as he could.

"We have information that he managed to slip into Central a few days ago. That's why I've summoned you here, Colonel." An older man, stern and proud in bearing, and wearing a black eyepatch over his left eye, said as he glanced over his shoulder to take in the map of Amestris. "I need you and your men to smoke him out and bring him in."

"Consider it done, sir." The Colonel replied firmly as he tucked the files securely under his arm and straightened his posture.

"I'm glad you're with us for a while in Central, Mustang. It's good to know that I have people here I can count on."

"Sir." Mustang lowered his head in acknowledgement, appreciating the subtle compliment.

"Ah, one last thing, our rising young stars are here as well. I'm placing them at your disposal." Mustang frowned for a moment as he raised his head. He'd thought they'd already left for Liore by now.

"Forgive me Fuhrer Bradley, but just to be clear are you referring to–?"

"I am… the Fullmetal Alchemist and his sister, the Grave Alchemist."

~Fullmetal Alchemist: The Elric Sister~

Three silhouettes stood on top of a roof under the moon's light, their statures ranging to very different sizes. The shortest of the group was the only one sitting down, his braided golden hair moving with the wind slightly.

"Ah, dammit. The Colonel's never going to let us out of here." He groaned in irritation while rubbing the back of his head with a white gloved hand. His long red trench coat flapped around his legs, but he paid no mind to the increasing gales as he turned to look at the other two.

"We already bought our tickets for Liore, too. Does this mean we're not going?" The tallest of the group asked, his young voice echoing slightly. If one were to listen closely, they would hear the wind whistling a little as it passed through different parts of his armor.

"I don't know Al. For now, let's just get this over with, okay?" The first answered and the third silhouette gave a tired sigh.

"If we do miss the train, Mustang had better reimburse us." This voice, unlike the other two, was feminine and laced with annoyance. She too wore a trench coat, but the coloring was black instead of red. Her golden eyes lifted to her companions as the first boy stood up while scoffing in agreement.

"Lead the way, brother, sister." Al spoke and it was silent for a few moments before the three realized that they had no idea where they were supposed to look first.

"Any thoughts on where to start, Ed?" The female of the group asked, amusement filling her tone as the shortest member of their group frowned. Before he could respond, the sound of gunfire came from behind them and Ed smirked.

"Does that answer your question Jo?" Jumping down to the street, the small group ran towards where the commotion was going on. "Okay, I'll get this guy from the front and you two ambush him from behind. If we finish this up quickly, we might not miss the train after all." Ed explained and his siblings nodded their heads in understanding before separating, with Jo and Al taking a different lane to loop around and corner their target.

"Water freezes, water boils. Either way you're just as dead." The Elrics heard a gruff voice say as they each took up their positions at both ends of the alleyway. The sound of something flying through the air got the man's attention and he jumped back just in time to avoid being impaled by a spear.

"That's Alchemy…" The Freezing Alchemist noted as he saw the blue flash of electricity that surrounded the weapon for a few brief seconds.

"What a nasty thing to do." Ed muttered as he stepped forwards, pausing to examine the soldier who'd been boiled alive only moments ago. The Freezing Alchemist grinned.

"You of all people should know that great deeds require great sacrifice. Isn't that the law of Equivalent Exchange?!" The cloaked man shouted, his voice bordering on hysterical at the end of his sentence.

"Save your breath, the laws of Alchemy don't justify murder!" Ed remarked as he stepped out of the shadows, his golden eyes glaring angrily at the man in front of him. He clapped his hands and grabbed the spear, causing a transmutation as the weapon shifted into a spiked club.

"No transmutation circle?" The Freezing Alchemist gasped in surprise.

"Don't be too impressed… now!" Ed called out as he charged forwards and gave the signal for his siblings to attack. Al swung out with his left arm, aiming for the man's head. The man dodged clumsily, falling backwards, and Ed took the advantage by swinging downwards with his club. The cloaked man brought his arms up, the metal gauntlet on his right arm blocking the attack, before twisting away. He kicked at Al and grabbed Ed's arm, transmuting the water inside to boil over. Much to his shock, the boy was just knocked back a few feet, his right arm smoking but otherwise undamaged.

"What?!" The Freezing Alchemist was just able to block Al's next attack and quickly readjusted his stance so that the momentum threw the armored boy over his back and into the ground. Letting his guard down, a kick at his back sent the man falling towards the ground. With a grunt he recovered and lashed out with a sweeping kick to knock over his attacker. The Freezing Alchemist was only able to see a flash of white in the darkness as the person flipped over his attack and regrouped with the other two. "No, I had you! Any water there should've boiled!"

"Heh, if it's any consolation, you did ruin my coat." Ed retorted as he tore off his shredded red coat, revealing his Automail limb.

"A young gifted Alchemist… one who doesn't use transmutation circles… and who has an Automail right arm…" The Freezing Alchemist glared as he finally understood who he was fighting. "I know you. You are the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric!" The man declared before pausing to look at the other two, his eyes landing on the largest opponent first. "So… it's not you?"

"Um, no, I'm his younger brother, Alphonse." Al replied as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Jo chuckled softly after taking a step back into the shadows so as not to be noticed.

"But he's a runt." The Freezing Alchemist continued as he looked Ed over once again.

"Oh yeah, can a runt do this?!" Ed shouted before he clapped his hands and slammed them onto the ground, causing the nearby stones to shoot out and encase the man.

"I've heard the stories, but still I never imagined this. The Fullmetal Alchemist is just a little kid!"

"Don't call me little!" Ed yelled again as he transmuted a stone fist that slammed into the Freezing Alchemist.

"You know brother, I don't think he was really talking about you're height just now." Al commented as he looked down at the dazed man.

"Well, even if he wasn't he still pissed me off!" Ed growled and Jo snickered at her brother's overreaction. "And what the hell are you laughing at Joanne?!" The girl waved her white gloved hands, gold eyes alight with humor as her brother fumed.

"Nothing, Edward. I would never laugh at you brother." Ed looked ready to say something in return, but a group of soldiers suddenly arrived in the alley with their guns raised. Annoyed, Ed just huffed before pointing down at the man they'd apprehended.

"So you're the one we've been hearing so many stories about, the Fullmetal Alchemist." One soldier said cheerily as he looked up at Al while the others began to escort the handcuffed Freezing Alchemist. "You're as good as they say. Thanks for the help."

"Um, you're welcome, but I'm not really the one you should be thanking." Alphonse replied as he looked over at his two older siblings. Jo was leaning up against the wall, eyes closed, while Ed was busy repairing his torn coat.

"There." Ed said as he pulled on his signature trench coat. Jo followed after her brother, sticking close to the shadows as the soldier who was talking to Al stared at her uneasily. "C'mon, let's get going Al. We've got a train to catch." Ed briefly shot the soldier a glare as he caught the look he was giving Jo.

"Oh, okay, if you think it's alright to leave…" Al trailed off as he saw Jo tug her hood further downwards to hide her face, her eyes focused on the ground. A solemn air fell over the siblings as they moved down the alley, but Ed was quick to brighten the mood by bragging about how easy it was to catch the wanted man.

"Seriously, I don't even know why we were called in. Mustang was probably just shoving his work onto us, as usual." Ed complained as he rotated his Automail arm. "What a waste of time."

"But you saw what he did with his Alchemy, brother. I don't think normal soldiers had much of a chance in beating him." Al offered, trying to appease their ill-tempered brother.

"Plus that man seemed to be adept at transmuting water. You know Mustang would've been useless against that type of Alchemy." Jo added playfully and Ed snickered in agreement.

"That's not nice, sister." Al scolded lightly, though she could detect the humor in his tone. Once they reached the end of the lane, the Elric siblings turned around in alarm at hearing the sound of a transmutation. Faster than they could react, a thick mass of white vapor shoot out towards them. Jo quickly took cover behind Al while Ed brought up his Automail arm to shield his face.

"What is that? Steam?" Ed coughed as the air began to clear.

"Brother, he's gone!" Alphonse pointed out and Jo searched the alleyway intently to see that their little brother was indeed correct.

"Dammit, now he really pissed me off!" Ed snarled as he stomped his foot and raised a fist in the air, shaking it angrily at the missing man.

"Calm down Edward, he couldn't have gotten too far." Jo reasoned as she moved to help one of the soldiers up. The man took her gloved hand gratefully, but once he caught sight of her bandaged face he let go and stumbled back to the ground with a yelp. Jo gazed down at the man stiffly, pulling her hand back as he stared up at her in fear. She heard Ed growl from behind them, but she swiftly moved down the alley to stop him from doing anything in retaliation. "C'mon, I think it's best if we meet up with Mustang."

~Fullmetal Alchemist: The Elric Sister~

"Looks like you underestimated you're opponent." Mustang reprimanded them and Jo caught Ed's eyes looking away as he glared at the wall. Seeing as Ed was ignoring the man, the Colonel's sharp gaze landed on her. "This is something I expect from Fullmetal, but not from you Grave." Knowing he was right, she just nodded her head in concession.

"Who is this guy anyway?" Ed asked in annoyance.

"You'd know that if you had listened to the briefing like I told you to. But no, you had to go charging right after him–" Ed threw up his hands in surrender.

"Yeah, yeah, I get. I'm sorry 'kay? Whatever." Jo could only shake her head at her brother's bullheadedness. It had gotten them into trouble more times than she could count. Despite this, she still shared a fond look with Alphonse as Edward grumbled something insulting about Mustang quietly enough so that the man couldn't hear it.

"Next time a superior tells you to pay attention, you might just try it." Mustang said while smirking slightly. Jo scoffed. '_Yeah right. If he doesn't listen to me, he sure as hell isn't going to listen to you, Mustang._'

"Fine." Ed muttered sourly.

"Now then, his name is Isaac McDougal or, as he was known back in the day, "Isaac the Freezer." He's a former State Alchemist."

"Former?" Ed inquired and Jo narrowed her eyes. She'd wondered why he'd been wearing a military uniform under his cloak. But if he was so against the military now, then why was he still wearing their colors? Maybe it was to make his infiltration into Central easier, but then again McDougal wasn't exactly being subtle.

"That's right." Mustang answered as he stood up from his desk to look out the window. "He served in the Ishvalan War. During that time, he gave us no signs that he would turn traitor. But after it ended he immediately resigned his commission and went into hiding. He's been working with the Antiestablishment movement ever since." Jo tensed, as did her brothers, at the mentioning of the Antiestablishment and she pretended not to notice their worried glances. "Taking him into custody is a matter of top priority. Whether it's dead or alive that's up to him."

"No way. I'm not killing anyone for you." Ed replied firmly, his gaze landing on Jo briefly before going back to the wall.

"And that's your choice." Mustang continued as he looked to Jo who slowly nodded her head. She agreed with Ed and if given the choice, she didn't want to kill anyone either. But if the situation really called for it, she would choose her brothers' lives over McDougal's in a heartbeat. "Your orders are simply to help us contain him. That's all." Mustang suddenly smirked, his face taking on a more mischievous expression. "Hmm, off topic. Have you found any way to return your bodies back to normal?" Ed twitched.

"Maybe if you ever gave us time to look!" He growled back and Jo closed her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest, the white bandages she was famous for hiding a smile. Ed's overdue rant was cut off prematurely as the office door swung open with a bang, startling Al who jolted a little, making the couch he was sitting on tilt dangerously.

"Roy, how goes it? Heard you let'em put you in charge of catching the Freezer! One hell of a nasty assignment! But hey, could be your chance to earn that promotion to Central." A man with short black hair and glasses said loudly from the doorway. "Oh say, looks like my timing was perfect!" The stranger continued as he turned his sights on them. "You three are the Elric siblings, right?" Faster than Jo could blink, the excitable man was standing next to them and shaking one of Al's hands in greeting. "Wow, I can't believe I'm meeting the youngest State Alchemist ever! You're a real legend around here. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, a pleasure."

"Um, you want Edward. I'm actually his younger brother Alphonse." Al explained while sounding embarrassed. Jo chuckled lightly as Ed glowered at Hughes before his heated glare quickly shifted to her. She whistled innocently and he returned his attention back to Hughes. It never stopped being funny when people assumed Al was the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"What?!" Hughes cried in disbelief before turning to Ed. "You're the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Ed frowned at the man, looking as if he already expected Hughes to say something about his size. Instead Hughes' gaze shifted over to her. "Then you must be the Grave Alchemist." Suddenly Jo found herself trapped in a handshake just as vigorous as the one he had given Alphonse. "It's a real honor to meet the first and only female State Alchemist! Weren't you also the youngest State Alchemist until your brother took the test?"

"Huh, oh, yeah I was. The, uh, honor's mine Lieutenant Colonel." Jo stuttered, unused to receiving such a positive reaction on a first encounter. People usually shied away from her because of her appearance and reputation.

"Hughes." Mustang hissed to regain the man's attention.

"Yeah?" Hughes said happily, unaware or simply choosing to ignore Mustang's agitated tone.

"What are you doing here? Go home."

"Actually, I'm here on official business." Hughes turned back to them. "You, Elrics, I understand that you three don't have a place to stay which means you'll have to come with me." He gave them a serious look before he began to pull something out of the top of his uniform. Ed, ever the suspicious pessimist, leaned back quickly, imagining the worst. "My wife Gracia and my daughter Elicia would love to have you." The man continued in a goofy tone as he showed them a picture of his family.

Of course Ed put up a fight, saying that he wanted to keep searching for McDougal, but Hughes was surprising rather insistent. The man just didn't seem to understand the word no. Thirty minutes later the Elric siblings found themselves standing awkwardly before the Hughes family, all of them a bit confused about how they'd ended up there. Gracia was a lovely looking woman and Elicia was just as cute as Hughes had claimed. The little girl stared up at them in fascination, even Jo, whose look tended to make most little kids cry

"Hi, princess." Hughes cooed as he rubbed his cheeks against Elicia's small, chubby face.

"Ow, daddy, your beard is itchy!" Elicia giggled sweetly and he laughed.

"Like this? Itchy, itchy." Jo's eyes widened suddenly as a distant memory came to her while watching the father and daughter interact.

_Jo yawned loudly as she shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing at her tired eyes as she smelled what mommy was cooking. Ed was already setup up at the table, making a mess, but Al wasn't in the room. _

"_Sissy!" Ed shouted happily in greeting and Jo hugged her two year old brother, not caring that his entire lower face was covered in jam._

"_Good morning Joanne." Her mommy said as she set a plateful of pancakes down on the table and placed a kiss on the top of her head._

"_Morn'n mommy." Jo yawned again and she heard her mommy chuckle._

"_Could you be a dear and wake your father for me? I have to get Al up."_

"_Okay mommy." Jo said happily as she moved down the hall to her parents' bedroom. Hesitantly, she paused at the doorway at she looked at her daddy. The sun was shining down on his face and she noticed that he wasn't wearing his glasses. She'd never seen her daddy without his glasses on! Jo silently decided he looked better with them on. Without a second thought, she ran over and jumped on the bed, earning a grunt from the man as she pulled herself up onto his chest._

"_Daddy, wake up! It's morning!" Jo cheered, but her daddy stayed asleep. She frowned and shook his shoulder. "Daddy, mommy said to get up now." She tried again only to yelp in surprise as his arms wrapped around her and brought her close to his chest, his chin rubbing against the top of her head._

"_Daddy, stop! You're beard is itchy!" She giggled as her father's beard brushed against her head again. He muttered something under his breath, but it didn't make much sense to the four year old. "Daddy, mommy made breakfast." She said one last time in her sternest voice while trying to wiggle out of her daddy's arms._

"_Five more minutes, princess. I won't tell mommy if you won't." Jo yawned for a third time, suddenly feeling very sleepy as she buried her face into her daddy's warm chest. She heard him laugh softly, the rumble of it echoed in his chest, and her eyes fluttered close as his arms wrapped more firmly around her._

Jo blinked as the memory faded away and Elicia's laughter filled the hall.

"Look, we have guests! These are the Elric siblings." Hughes introduced them as he stepped over to his wife Gracia, who gave them a welcoming smile. Elicia's adorable face furrowed in thought before she pointed up at Al first.

"Big brother." Her finger shifted to Ed. "Little brother." Then it moved to Jo. "Mummy." Ed grunted in annoyance and Jo could only rub her head sheepishly. It wasn't the first time someone had called her a mummy, but they weren't usually so cute about it.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Edward Elric." Ed said while pointing to himself before jabbing a thumb in Al's direction. "This is my younger brother, Alphonse Elric." He then pointed at Jo, who waved. "And this is my older sister, Joanne Elric. Get it? Al is our younger brother." He continued while carefully announcing his last few words, exaggerating the syllables when saying the word younger.

"But younger means little. You're little." Elicia argued and Jo couldn't hold back her laughter any longer.

"That's because he didn't drink his milk while growing up." She replied smartly and Alphonse held back their raving brother.

"Shut up! You didn't drink any milk either!" Edward yelled as he frantically tried to get out of Al's steel glad grip.

"Well, I'm not exactly tall, now am I? But then again, compared to your height, five feet and four inches isn't something to snuff at." She grinned at Ed as he glared at her. "_Little brother._"

"Argh, who're you calling so little that you need a magnifying class to see him?!" Ed shouted while flailing his arms and Elicia laughed.

"Just let it go Ed." Al advised as they stepped into the Hughes's home. "These people are being nice to let us stay here."

"Hope you kids are hungry, Gracia's cooking is delicious." Hughes bragged and Gracia blushed modestly. Jo's nose instantly took in the warm smelling food, her mouth practically watering at the pleasant scent. They sat down at the table and the older Elric siblings stared down at their individual quiches with hunger. Jo paused for a second before removing her coat, knowing that it was bad manners to eat with it on. The long sleeve of her shirt was pushed up as a result and she quickly pulled it back down to hide her bandaged arm. Unfortunately, Elicia had spotted the action.

"Big sister, are you hurt?" Elicia asked innocently and Jo turned to look down at the little girl. She imagined she looked quite unnerving in the cozy setting of their dining room. Not an inch of her skin was visible and her entire face was covered in white gauze, making her look like a burn victim. Only her eyes and eyelids could be seen.

"No Elicia, I'm not." She answered softly and the little girl's scrunched up in confusion.

"But then, why are you covered in bandages?" Ed's fists clenched tightly and Al shifted uneasily.

"Well, clearly I'm pretending to be a mummy." She replied in know-it-all tone, eye-smiling since she knew Elicia wouldn't be able to see a normal grin. "Don't you play dress up?" Elicia nodded her head happily.

"Yeah, but I dress up as a princess." Ed sighed from beside her and Jo inwardly shared his relief as she continued to smile at the three year old.

"Okay everyone, eat up!" Hughes announced and Ed picked up his knife and fork, eagerly digging in. His eyes lit up with joy as he took the first bite.

"Wow, you weren't kidding, this is great!" Ed complimented as he took another large bite of his quiche. Jo shifted the bandages that were over her mouth, leaving the slightest of openings, and brought up a much smaller piece to her own mouth. An explosion of flavor seemed to go off in her mouth, forcefully reminding her that she and Ed hadn't had a home cooked meal in a long time.

"Mm, this is delicious Mrs. Hughes." Jo praised as she eye-smiled at the woman.

"Don't be shy, eat all you want." Gracia returned happily.

"O-K!" Ed and Jo chorused at the same time, smirking at each other before turning back to their meals.

"Alphonse, how are you going to eat wearing all that armor?" Hughes asked in good humor and Jo felt herself tense for a moment. "Take it off, relax!"

"W-Well, you see, uh–"

"He's not allowed to take it off, it's a part of his Alchemy training." She lied quickly as both her brothers struggled to form a response. "All of us went through the same thing at his age. Though granted our armors weren't nearly as big as Al's. You should have seen Edward. Even when we got the smallest armor we could find it was still too big! I'm half convinced Al stole all of Ed's height for himself." She chuckled while giving the Hughes family another eye-smile.

"Who're you calling so small he need's ladder seat to sit at a kid's table!?" Ed screamed and Jo merely waved off her brother's anger. Judging by the look on Hughes's face though, she could tell the man knew that something was up.

~Fullmetal Alchemist: The Elric Sister~

"Hahaha, hands down that has got to be funniest joke I've heard in a long, long time! The Freezing Alchemist wants me to come play his sidekick. Well, as fun as that sounds – the Crimson Alchemist works alone. I always have." A rusty voice said, one that belonged to former State Alchemist, Solf J. Kimblee.

"Kimblee, if we work together, we can bring down Bradley and his god-forsaken military. You saw the horrors that took place in Ishval, you were there dammit. You know the things Bradley ordered us to do, the kind of man he really is! That's why you killed all those officers, isn't it? To send him a message."

Isaac McDougal, Kimblee could barely remember the man, but he could recall that the Freezing Alchemist had been against the war in Ishval from the start. That hadn't stopped the man from doing his job though. Before McDougal could continue, Kimblee laughed again.

"I think you've got me all wrong. My motives aren't so sophisticated as "revenge" or "honor" or any of that. The reason I killed all those men… was because I could. It's that simple." As expected, that wasn't the answer McDougal had wanted to hear.

"That's too bad Kimblee. That truly is too bad." From his cell, Kimblee could hear McDougal's footsteps fading. There was a creak of the outer cell door before a slam rang throughout the hall. Kimblee smirked as he pulled the Philosopher Stone out of his mouth. He didn't want to join forces with McDougal, but he certainly wished the man luck on his bloody crusade.

It was just too bad he couldn't be there to see the man fail.

~Fullmetal Alchemist: The Elric Sister~

"Brother, sister?" Alphonse asked softly and Jo turned in her bed to look at the youngest Elric. "Mrs. Hughes's quiche, it looked a lot like moms."

"Yeah, it was almost as good too." Ed muttered and Jo found herself nodding in agreement. "And it was hell of a lot better than what Jo had ever tried to make!"

"Look, I don't know how many times I have to say it. I don't bake. Do I look like a housewife?" She growled as she turned to Ed, who was smirking in revenge for her earlier cracks about his height. There weren't a lot of things that got on Joanne's nerve, but her lack of skill in the kitchen was definitely one of them. Ed never failed to remind her just how horrible of a cook she was.

"Really?! In that case, I'm definitely adding it to the list of things I'm gonna eat once I get my body back." Jo frowned and closed her eyes.

"Right, put it on there, right near the top." Ed replied, his tone unbearably light.

"Brother… sister…?" Alphonse whispered, suddenly sounding so much younger than fourteen. "I sure would like to get our bodies back soon." She gripped the sheets of her bed tightly.

"Me too." Ed said back just as quietly.

"Me three, little brother." She added softly as her eyes focused on the dark ceiling. Jo half wondered if she could sleep tonight without being visited by another one of her nightmares. She thought about the surprising memory she'd had of Hohenheim and silently wished to dream about those forgotten days. To revisit a time where her family had been whole and happy, seemingly disconnected from the rest of the world and its horrors.

~Fullmetal Alchemist: The Elric Sister~

"Get a medic, hurry!" A nearby solider shouted, while another running by reported that five corpse had been found so far.

"How awful…" Alphonse said sadly as the three of them looked down at McDougal's latest victim.

"Looks like a steam explosion. Rise the temperature of water fast enough and it expands with the force of a bomb blast." Ed stated as he stared down at the body.

"And the human body is seventy percent water." Jo recited grimly.

"Let's hurry." Ed growled as he led them away from the victim. "We have to find him before he hurts somebody else." As they started running down the street, a sudden explosion shook the ground and the Elrics turned to see smoke billowing from a distant alleyway. Quickly arriving in the lane, Jo could make out the fighting forms of McDougal and Major Armstrong.

"Major!" Al called out worryingly and McDougal turned to throw something at them. Al grabbed both siblings and brought them close to his chest as steam and hot water exploded over the area, shielding them from being burned.

"Using a water canteen, huh?" Ed noted as he bumped Al on his chest plate. "Thanks for the quick save, Al."

"Yeah, but we have to move, he's getting away." Jo did a quick sweep over the alley to see that Al was right. McDougal was long gone with no clues of where he went.

"Come then, after me Elric siblings!" Major Armstrong said while giving them a nod in greeting.

"Right!" Both Ed and Al chorused at the same time before the three took off after the Major. However, after following Armstrong around for thirty minutes, it became apparent that the Major was searching for McDougal blindly.

"You have no idea where we're going, do you?!" Ed shouted angrily and the Major looked away in embarrassment. "Ugh, great, he could be anywhere in this damn city!"

"He has to have a plan right? This guy's smart, he wouldn't just run around Central killing soldiers at random. There's got to be something we're missing." Jo muttered and Ed nodded in agreement. "Maybe if we retrace our steps–" Her head shot up at the same time as Ed's did and they shared a look. "We have to go back." The group wasted no time in returning to the place where Major Armstrong had encountered the Freezing Alchemist. Sure enough they found McDougal crouching down in the middle of the alleyway, pushing aside rubble in a frenzied manner.

"Stop right there." Ed growled as he and Jo reached the entrance to the alleyway. "I was wondering what you were doing in this alley, so I came back to check it out and bingo."

"There's nowhere to run this time!" Alphonse warned the man as he appeared on the other side of the alley and McDougal chuckled darkly.

"Clearly, but who's running?" Red electricity shot out from the array in front of the Freezing Alchemist. Jo stepped back at the sudden cold wind that blasted over them. She gazed around her in surprise as even more arrays began to activate, their red electricity arching up into the darkened sky.

"An Alchemic reaction on this scale…" Ed gasped and Jo felt her body pump with adrenaline just at the thought of what this might mean.

"Impossible, unless that means he has–" Al started to say before Ed cut in with a grin.

"A Philosopher Stone!" A high-pitched whistling over took the air and the red electricity was replaced with a white-blue light. Looking back into the alleyway, Jo backed up as she saw that ice was beginning to scale the ground and neighboring buildings.

"He's freezing all the moisture in the air." She said out loud while stepping closer to Ed's side.

"Wait, I know you." McDougal started abruptly as he pointed at Jo; surprise, anger, and unease battling for dominance over his face. "I should have realized who you were when I spotted those white bandages. You're the Grave Alchemist, Joanne Elric, the Grim Reaper of the Creole Revolt!" Jo didn't react to McDougal's rising voice, but she could feel Ed tense from beside her. "You're just as disquieting to look at as the rumors say." The Freezing Alchemist continued while watching her warily. "You two, you've sworn to be a Dog of the Military, but do you really know the ones you serve and what their plans are?"

"Who cares?! It's not my problem!" Ed yelled as he stood in front of Jo defensively, clearly pissed about the comment concerning her looks.

"Don't be a fool! He'll lead us all to ruin! I'm only doing what needs to be done!" McDougal shouted back and Jo lowered herself into the fighting stance that Teacher had taught her.

"I told you! I don't care!" Edward retorted and Al appeared over the wall of ice that had grown immensely during the past few seconds. He gave McDougal a hard kick that sent the man flying and the older Elric siblings scrambled to get out of the way. Jo wondered if Alphonse had heard McDougal's insult too. The Freezer rolled until he slammed into a railing, stopping him from falling into the city's waterway.

"All right, nice work Al!" Ed complimented their younger brother and Jo gave him a thumbs up.

"But we still have to stop this Alchemy!" Al reminded them.

"Simple, we destroy one of the arrays and his whole transmutation sequence is disrupted." She replied while eyeing McDougal who seemed to have had the wind knocked out of him.

"I know." Ed said seriously and the siblings approached the downed man, effectively surrounding him. "So where is it?! You have a Philosopher Stone, don't you?" The Freezing Alchemist smirked.

"What are you talking about?"

"I won't ask again! Where is it?!" Ed snarled and Jo tensed as McDougal smiled at them.

"And what are you going to do boy? You're out of your league!" Water from the waterway rushed up like a tidal wave, freezing instantly as the iceberg grew in size. Jo pushed Ed to get him moving as the three of them were forced to run away so as not to get crushed.

"Stand back and prepare for an awesome display of Armstrong Alchemy!" Major Armstrong shouted as he raised his fists, taking on one of the famous Armstrong family poses.

"He's all yours Major!" Ed called as they ran pass the large man.

"Try not to die!" She added cheerfully.

"Joanne, that's not nice to joke about!" Al admonished her half-heartedly while Ed chuckled.

"Witness the Alchemic Arts passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" The Major slammed his fist into the glacier, causing the tip explode before it suddenly branched out at a right angle, crashing through a building. "That was unexpected…"

"What the hell are you doing Major?! You're making it worse!" Ed shouted and Jo brought a hand up to her forehead in exasperation.

"I was only trying to–" The Major was cut off as the ice cut back in through a new building, continuing on its original path.

"The ice walls!" Alphonse gasped in realization while looking at the damage. "They're–"

"They're merging together." Jo continued as her eyes widened.

"If they all meet in the middle… Ah, dammit! It's Central Command!" Ed finished angrily "He's going to freeze it over!" He quickly turned to Armstrong. "Major, we're going to take him down. Can you handle the transmutation circles?"

"Consider them erased. I'm on it!" Armstrong replied dutifully as he raised a fist and nodded his head. The Elric siblings nodded back and took off after the ice wall to confront McDougal.

~Fullmetal Alchemist: The Elric Sister~

"Fuhrer King Bradley, for your cold-blooded crimes committed in Ishval I condemn you to a frozen hell." The Freezing Alchemist stated much too calmly for someone attempting mass murder.

"Not so fast!" Jo yelled up to the man as she transmuted a part of the ice wall into a staircase. From below Ed transmuted the ground he stood on to form a rising pillar. He stretched it to the max, jumping onto the glacier as it began to breakdown. Alphonse did the same on the other side of the ice wall and landed solidly behind Ed just as Jo reached the top, standing behind McDougal. Not willing to be cornered again, the Freezer wasted no time in manipulating the ice into a massive wave that shoot outwards in all directions. Jo clapped her hands quickly and transmuted the ice at her feet into a wall to block the attack.

"Two can play that game!" Ed taunted as he decomposed the ice, causing both McDougal and Jo to fall towards the ground. '_Thanks for that, Ed._' She thought in irritation as she struggled to stay upright while tumbling back through the air. As if sensing her thoughts, Ed smiled sheepishly at her, clearly forgetting that she'd been standing behind McDougal.

The Freezing Alchemist recovered quickly and turned a chunk of ice into boiling water that rained down upon Ed. Copying the man's actions; Jo twisted in midair and transmuted some falling ice into a thin pole that she slid down, landing safely on the street. Looking up, she saw the Freezing Alchemist slam his hand into Al's face, knocking his helmet off with a transmutation.

"Alphonse, Edward!" Jo shouted as she formed a stone pillar like her brothers had done earlier to reach them. Al aimed a kick at McDougal, who just barely managed to dodge it, and stood back up with Ed at his side. Jo jumped over and landed nimbly next to her brothers, glaring angrily at McDougal as the man saw that Al was hollow.

"There's no one in there! It's empty! But that… that could only be true if his soul was bounded to the armor…" McDougal frowned at Ed and Jo bent down to pick up Alphonse's helmet. "So you lost your arm and your brother lost his entire body." He shot Jo a pitying look. "And those bandages, what was taken from you?"

"Let's just say I'm not pretty to look at." She answered in a self-deprecating tone as she handed Al his helmet.

"Heh, I see, it all makes sense. You fools committed the ultimate taboo!" Jo clenched her fists. "You attempted Human Transmutation, didn't you? Alchemy's one and only unforgivable sin!" As Ed lowered his head in shame, she knew that her brother was remembering what they'd done that horrible night. And the costs they'd had to pay.

"You know, there are some lines you really shouldn't cross." Ed muttered before charging forwards and Jo was just a mere step behind him. As Ed aimed high, Jo swung low and kicked McDougal's feet out from under him. As the man crashed face first into the ice, he responded by transmuting the iceberg into spikes and the two jumped back to avoid them. Al lashed out with his arm and destroyed them before kicking McDougal off of the glacier. The man grunted as he slid down his own creation, his arm getting cut along the way, and the three siblings were quick to follow after him.

"Give it up, there's no water for you to use here." Ed warned and McDougal chuckled.

"You forget I have all the water I need, seventy percent of my body!" The Freezing Alchemist shouted before two long shards of frozen blood shot forwards at Edward. While the boys were to slow to react, Jo had always been faster than her brothers. She deftly pushed Ed out of the way, hissing in pain as one of the blood shards stabbed the top of her right shoulder.

"Joanne!" Alphonse shouted in concern before breaking the blood icicles, severing the connection between her and McDougal. She quickly brought her gloved hand up to the wound, silently bemoaning the fact that she would have to change her bandages later.

"Jo!" Ed quickly crouched down next to her as she fell to her knees, her breathing a little strained from the pain. "Bastard!" He shouted at the Freezing Alchemist while glaring.

"Why can't you fools understand? I'm trying to save this country!" McDougal yelled, only to start laughing triumphantly as ice began to climb up the outer wall of Central Command. As the hysterical man stumbled away, Ed made a scoffing noise before muttering a promise to get the bastard later.

"Sister, sister, are you alright?" Al asked as he joined the two Elrics already on the ground.

"Idiot, you shouldn't have gotten in the way." Ed growled, equally as worried as Al over their older sister.

"Well maybe if you weren't so slow." Jo panted lightly as she looked up at her brothers. "Quit making those dumb faces, I'm fine. We're going after him." She grunted as she tore out the remaining shard. The pain was negligible; she'd been through much worse. "We're not done yet, not even close." Behind them the ice wall began to deteriorate rapidly. "Looks like Armstrong managed not to die after all." Ed's laugh sounded forced and Al remained silent.

After her brothers had helped her up, they followed the trail of blood McDougal had left behind.

Jo bit back a gasp as they saw that the Fuhrer had already taken care of the Freezing Alchemist. She caught sight of the Freezer's hand peeking out from the tarp that had been laid over his body and felt inappropriately grateful towards Bradley. Isaac had used his own blood as a weapon. He'd been a desperate man on an insane mission, ready to fight to his death. If Bradley hadn't of been the one to kill McDougal, Jo had little doubt that she would've been the one standing over the man's corpse instead.

"Fuhrer Bradley, you're here?" Ed asked and Jo focused on putting pressure on her wound. Nothing vital had been hit, but she tended to bleed like a stuck pig whenever she was cut. The leader of the country turned to them and smiled.

"Ah, yes, job well done, Fullmetal. I came out to see if I could lend a hand and to think that I'd actually be the one to catch him." As the Fuhrer's gaze shifted to her, Jo let herself immerse into the role that was the Grave Alchemist. "If nothing else, this should make an exciting story to tell my son!" In a span of seconds she slowed her breathing and straightened her posture, saluting her commander while blatantly ignoring the blood that was dripping onto the ground. Bradley returned the salute, his expression turning serious as he studied her. "You seemed to be injured Grave Alchemist." A few of the soldiers on the scene paused in their work to look up at Jo, muttering to each other while pointing, and she scoffed before waving aside the man's concern.

"Nothing to worry about, sir, I can hardly feel it." Ed twitched at her words and Al bowed his head a little. No doubt her brothers felt guilty for her being hurt. She honestly didn't know how many times she had to tell them. It was the older siblings' job to look after their younger siblings. Ed often argued back that, no matter what the age, brothers should always protect their sisters.

"It's good to see that you're still as strong as ever, my dear." The Fuhrer replied heartily. "But for my sake, please visit the hospital. An old man like myself can't help but worry over you young ones." Jo eye-smiled before nodding, even though she'd only met the Fuhrer a couple of times, she found that she sort of liked the odd man.

"Sir, you just took down a rogue State Alchemist. You're not that old." Bradley laughed again and Jo gave another salute before she and her brothers left the area. Waiting until they were out of sight, Jo finally gave in to the dizziness of blood loss and sagged against Ed's smaller frame. Without needing to say anything, the two brothers helped their elder sister to the nearest hospital. She decided to enjoy the silence while she could, knowing that her brothers would give her a lecture her before the night was over.

~Fullmetal Alchemist: The Elric Sister~

Sitting in the hospital bed, Jo sighed as she and her brothers talked about the fight with Isaac McDougal. Well, it really wasn't the fight they talked about, but rather of what they believed to have been involved. Those arrays were too powerful for one Alchemist to activate on their own. McDougal had something on him that ignored the Laws of Equivalency and they knew of only one item that could do such a thing.

It was their goal, their way to return their bodies back to normal, the Philosopher Stone.

"We weren't even able to discover if he had a Stone or not." Al said sadly and she turned to Ed, who was sitting on the end of her bed.

"No." Ed agreed as he shrugged his shoulders. "But maybe it'll say something in the official report." The room's door opened suddenly and Jo blinked in surprise as a bouquet of red roses appeared in front of her face.

"Greetings, Joanne Elric." Jo paled as recognized the sparkles that surrounded the flowers. Gulping, she looked up to see that her worst fears were indeed true. Major Alex Louise Armstrong was standing before her, sparkles and all. She could only be grateful that his shirt was still on. "When I heard you were here in the hospital… I DASHED RIGHT OVER!" Armstrong shouted unexpectedly, making them all flinch backwards.

"What the hell? Who brings roses to a hospital?!" Ed shouted as he pointed at the bouquet Jo had yet to take. Armstrong narrowed his eyes at them while Al tried to edge away from the man. It was rather hard to do considering his armored body wasn't made for sneaking. "What's wrong with daisies or tulips?"

"Roses symbolize beauty, love, and passion, Edward Elric." Armstrong barked back.

"Then why the hell are you giving them to my sister?! She's too young for you!" Ignoring Ed, the Major turned back to Jo, who began to sweat as the man shook his head forlornly at them.

"It's as I expected, you're all in desperate need of my assistance." The Major said before taking off his shirt. '_Oh god, the sparkles have multiplied! They can breed!_' The three traumatized Elrics leaned as far away from Armstrong as possible, but the man was undeterred. "You need the example of a perfect physical specimen to inspire your recovery." He laughed. "You see? You look livelier already!"

"Will you get out!?" Ed screamed. "And take those damn roses with you!"

~Fullmetal Alchemist: The Elric Sister~

"Ah I see, so Isaac's dead, is he? That's a shame. I had such high hopes for his too." A seductive female voice said as she smiled a little. "What about the Philosopher Stone? Oh? Sounds like he overused it." A squelching noise came from the other side of the room and the woman pulled away from the phone for a second. "Gluttony, try to chew quietly. I'm on the phone. Yes things are going well here in Liore." She smirked. "We'll be ready. It all begins, very soon."

~Fullmetal Alchemist: The Elric Sister~

Whew, glad that one's over with. I've written OC-centered stories before, but it's always a challenge to make them seem relatable and not like a Mary-Sue. Frankly, it's a pain in the ass to do because, no matter what I write, I know someone is going to be unhappy with my character. I'm actually more excited to do the next chapter as I'll be able to really introduce Jo's character. Like in the show, I didn't want to give away who she was and what she's been through in the first chapter. Instead, the next chapter, which is the "First Day" episode, will revolve more around Jo than Ed and Al.

As for pairings, I'm personally leaning towards Ling/Jo at the moment, but I'm open to suggestions. Any romance will be slow build, so please don't think that's the center point of this story. As for how Jo's existence affects Ed and Al, you can already see that Ed is going to be an over-the-top protective brother, despite the fact that he's two years younger. Like with the running gag about Ed's height, Ed will constantly think that every older male is hitting on his sister when they do something nice for her.

Do you guys have a guess about what the Truth took from Jo? I actually think it's a pretty unique idea. The missing limbs are so overdone and so are the memory loss plotlines. Hopefully you guys like this.

–Hexalys


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